[Elecraft] Elecraft Construction Questions

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

I agree that buying cheap tools is often a foolish gamble but there's more
to it than that. 

The tips of *real* Phillips No.1 and No.2 screwdrivers are different. The
No.1 tip comes to a point where the No.2 and No. 3 have blunt end. 

And then there's the other cross point tips that many confuse for a
Phillips, such as the Reed and Prince, the JIS cross-head screwdrivers and
even the Pozidriv screwdrivers. They all have the familiar cross appearance
of a Phillips but with very different dimensions. 

In half a century of servicing electronics professionally and as a Ham, I
always carry at least those three in order to ensure a good fit with no
tendency to "cam out" and scratch or damage the screw head. The right size
provides the maximum contact area between the screwdriver and the screw
head.  

Taking care, one can get away with using the "wrong" size - and I've done it
plenty of times when one screwdriver was at hand - but the almost "click in"
fit or the right size is a much better feeling IMHO.

73, 

Ron AC7AC 


-----Original Message-----

The problem is not "confusion between manufacturers," but rather failure 
of the manufacturers of junk tools to follow long established 
international standards. There are MANY junk products of all sorts that 
are IMITATIONS of  the real thing, everything from tools to shoes to ham 
gear (ever seen one of those $90 Chinese talkies?).

Don is right -- a REAL #1 is all you need, That REAL #1 is all I've used 
to build two K3s, the KPA500, except, perhaps, to mount that big power 
XFMR in the KPA500 (don't remember what head is on it).

73, Jim K9YC